Counterfeit detection means for paper counting

Apparatus for counting currency and for simultaneously testing the genuineness of the currency simultaneously with the counting operation comprising:

• first means for receiving a stack of currency to be counted and tested;
• an outfeed stacker means;
• second means for continuously advancing the currency one bill at a time and at high speed from said stack towards said stacker said second means operating continuously during a normal document handling operation;
• means for counting said currency as they move towards said stacker means;
• a source of ultraviolet light positioned to illuminate the currency moving towards said stacker means;
• first detector means positioned to receive only that light reflected from the currency;
• said first detector means including filter means for permitting only that light of a predetermined wavelength determined by said filter means to activate said first detector means;
• said filter means being a dark blue filter.

Apparatus for handling bills and currency at high speed and for simultaneously examining the currency to determine whether the currency is genuine or is suspect comprising:

• a feed tray for receiving a stack of documents to be counted and tested;
• first means cooperating with the feed tray for advancing each document from the feed tray in a one-at-a-time fashion from the stack for advancing the documents in a forward feed direction;
• second means for receiving documents delivered from said first means to provide a gap of a predetermined minimum length adjacent edges of successive documents, said gap being measured in the feed direction;
• third means responsive to the forward edge of each bill for generating a signal, said signal having an interval equal to the time required for the bill to pass said third means;
• means for stacking the bills delivered thereto by said second means;
• fluorescence detection means for examining said documents as they pass through said first means and adapted to generate a suspect signal when the bill being examined fluoresces;
• means responsive to said suspect signal for abruptly halting said first means once the fluorescing bill is delivered to said second means to prevent further counting and testing of documents which may yet be in the feed tray to assure that the suspect bill will be the last bill fed to the stacking means to thereby facilitate simple, rapid removal of the suspect bill for further examination;
• said sensing means comprising first and second magnetic heads each having an output winding;
• means for electrically coupling said windings in opposing polarity fashion so that their outputs tend to cancel one another to thereby prevent spurious magnetic fields, which do not originate from magnetized particles in the bill from affecting the detection of the fields being measured.

Apparatus for counting currency and for simultaneously testing the genuineness of the currency simultaneously with the counting operation comprising:

• means for receiving a stack of currency to be counted and tested;
• an outfeed stacker means;
• means for advancing the currency one bill at a time from said stack towards said stacker and operating continuously during normal counting operations;
• means for counting said bills as they move towards said stacker means;
• a source of ultraviolet light positioned to illuminate the currency passing through said first means and moving towards said stacker means;
• first detector means positioned to receive only that light flouresced from the currency;
• said first detector means including filter means for permitting only that light of a predetermined wavelength determined by said filter means to activate said first detector means;
• a guide plate positioned along one side of the feed path of said bills as they move through said advancing means, said guide plate being positioned so that said bills move between said light source and one surface of said guide plate;
• at least a portion of said surface illuminated by said light source being covered with a color substantially similar to the bills being examined so that the characteristic fluorescence level of said covered surface is substantially similar to the characteristic fluorescence level of genuine currency to thereby greatly enhance the sensitivity of said detection means.

Apparatus for detecting suspect bills among a stack of currency comprising:

• first means operating in a continuous fashion during a normal document handling operation for advancing bills from said stack in a feed direction in a one-at-a-time fashion;
• stacker means;
• acceleration means for receiving bills delivered from said first means for accelerating bills and directing said bills to said stacker means;
• means for magnetizing a portion of each bill as it passes through said first means;
• sensing means for sensing the presence of a magnetic field created by particles on said bill magnetized by said magnetizing means for generating a suspect signal when the position of the bill passing said magnetizing contains no magnetized particles;
• means positioned adjacent to said sensing means for sensing the presence of a bill;
• means responsive to said bill sensing means and said magnetic field sensing means for abruptly disabling said first means to halt feeding of currency when said sensing means fails to sense the presence of magnetizable particles in the bill being examined and when the bill being examined has passed beyond the influence of said first means.

Apparatus for detecting suspect bills among a stack of currency comprising:

• first means operating continuously during a normal document handling operation for advancing bills from said stack in a feed direction in a one-at-a-time fashion;
• stacker means;
• acceleration means receiving bills delivered in said first means for accelerating bills and directing said bills to said stacker means;
• means for magnetizing a portion of each bill as it passes through said first means;
• sensing means for sensing the presence of a magnetic field created by particles on said bill by said magnetizing means for generating a suspect signal when the position of the bill passing said magnetizing contains no magnetized particles;
• said sensing means comprising first and second closely spaced magnetic heads each having an output winding;
• means for electrically coupling said windings in opposing polarity fashion so that their outputs tend to cancel one another to thereby prevent spurious magnetic fields, which do not originate from magnetized particles in the bill from affecting the detection of the fields being measured.

Apparatus for detecting suspect bills among a stack of currency comprising:

• first means operating continuously during a normal document handling operation for advancing bills from said stack in a feed direction in a one-at-a-time fashion;
• stacker means;
• acceleration means receiving bills delivered from said accelerating bills and directions said bills to said stacker means;
• means for magnetizing a portion of each bill as it passes through said first means;
• sensing means for sensing the presence of a magnetic field created by particles on said bill magnetized by said magnetizing means to generate an output signal whose magnitude represents the strength of the detected field;
• second sensing means positioned adjacent to said sensing means for generating a signal as the forward edge of a bill passes said second sensing means;
• first delay means responsive to the output signal of said second sensing means for generating an enable signal of a predetermined time interval;
• second delay means responsive to termination of the first delay means enable signal for generating a second enable signal of a predetermined time interval;
• first and second logical gate means respectively coupled to said first and second delay means being connected in common to said first sensing means for generating an output representative of the magnetic field strength picked up from adjacent first and second portions of the bill passing beneath said first sensing means whereby said logical gate means serve to differentiate between the portions of the bill being examined to thereby differentiate between the contrasting outputs derived therefrom due to the known differences encountered in genuine bills.

Apparatus for detecting suspect bills among a stack of currency comprising:

• first means operating continuously during a normal document handling operation for advancing bills from said stack in a feed direction in a one-at-a-time fashion;
• stacker means;
• acceleration means receiving bills delivered from said first means for accelerating bills and directing said bills to said stacker means;
• means for magnetizing a portion of each bill as it passes through said first means;
• first and second sensing means for sensing the presence of a magnetic field created by particles on said bill magnetized by said magnetizing means for generating an output signal representative of the field strength of the detected magnetic field;
• said first and second sensing means being arranged in spaced staggered fashion in the direction of movement of currency;
• third sensing means positioned adjacent to said first sensing means for generating a signal as the forward edge of a bill passes said second sensing means;
• first delay means responsive to the output signal of said third sensing means for generating an enable signal of a predetermined time interval;
• first and second logical gating means being coupled in common to said delay means and being respectively coupled to said first and second sensing means for providing output signals representative of the magnetic field strength of staggered portions on the bill being examined, only during the presence of said enable signal to differentiate between the portions of the bill being examined to thereby differentiate between the contrasting outputs derived therefrom due to the known differences encountered in genuine bills.

Apparatus for handling bills and currency at high speed and for simultaneously examining the currency to determine whether the currency is genuine or is suspect comprising:

• a feed tray for receiving a stack of documents to be counted and tested;
• first means operating continuously during normal document handling operation cooperating with the feed tray for advancing each document from the feed tray in a one-at-a-time fashion from the stack for advancing the documents in a forward feed direction;
• second means for receiving documents delivered from said first means to provide a gap of a predetermined minimunm length between adjacent edges of successive documents, said gap being measured in the feed direction;
• third means responsive to the forward edge of each bill for generating a signal, said signal having a time interval equal to the time required for the bill to pass said third means;
• means for stacking the bills delivered thereto by said second means;
• fluorescence detection means for examining said documents as they pass through said first means and adapted to generate a suspect signal when the bill being examined fluoresces;
• means responsive to said suspect signal for abruptly halting said first means once the fluorescing bill is delivered to said second means to prevent further counting and testing of documents which may yet be in the feed tray to assure that the suspect bill will be the last bill fed to the stacking means to thereby facilitate simple, rapid removal of the suspect bill for further examination;
• means for magnetizing a portion of each bill as it passes through said first means;
• sensing means for sensing the presence of a magnetic field created by magnetized particles on said bill for generating a suspect signal when the position of the bill passing said magnetizing contains no magnetized particles;
• means positioned adjacent to said sensing means for sensing the presence of a bill;
• means responsive to said bill sensing means and said magnetic field sensing means for abruptly disabling said first means to halt feeding of currency when said sensing means fails to sense the presence of a magnetizable particle in the bill being examined and when the bill being examined has passed beyond the influence of said first means.